We are closely monitoring the situation in Galveston and the impact from Hurricane Ike. We have now made plans to operate from the new cruise terminal in downtown Houston (the Bayport Cruise Terminal) until the pier and cruise terminal in Galveston are available to us. This will be effective with the Carnival Ecstasy cruises starting on September 20, 2008 and the Carnival Conquest cruises starting on September 21, 2008. The address for Houston’s Bayport Cruise Terminal is 4700 Cruise Road, Pasadena, Texas 77586.

In addition, here are the current plans for guests aboard the Carnival Conquest September 7 and the Carnival Ecstasy September 11 cruises:

Carnival Conquest September 7, 2008 Departure

The Carnival Conquest cruise that departed on September 7 returned to New Orleans on Monday, September 15. Guests were able to debark on Monday and today. Guests will also be able to remain onboard and sail to Houston with the ship. The ship will depart for Houston (the Bayport Cruise Terminal) today at 11:30 AM with arrival in Houston scheduled for Thursday, September 18 at approximately 12:00 noon. All guests will debark at that time.

Carnival Ecstasy September 11, 2008 Departure

The Carnival Ecstasy cruise that departed on September 11, 2008 will return to New Orleans today (1:00 PM arrival). Guests will be able to debark today or Wednesday. Guests will also be able to remain onboard and sail to Houston with the ship. The ship will depart for Houston (the Bayport Cruise Terminal) on Wednesday, September 17 at 11:30 AM with arrival in Houston scheduled for Friday, September 19 at approximately 12:00 noon. All guests will debark at that time.

We sincerely apologize to our guests that were impacted by these modified cruises. Most importantly, we hope that all of those that reside in the areas impacted by Hurricane Ike were able to remain safe. We also wish a speedy recovery to those that may have sustained damage homes or businesses.

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES’ TWO GALVESTON-BASED SHIPS TO OPERATE FROM PORT OF HOUSTON

Carnival Conquest, Carnival Ecstasy to Arrive at Houston’s Bayport Terminal Later This Week

MIAMI (September 16, 2008 ) – As a result of the closure of the Port of Galveston due to damage from Hurricane Ike, Carnival Cruise Lines’ two Galveston-based ships, Carnival Conquest and Carnival Ecstasy, are scheduled to operate their regular cruise programs from the Port of Houston’s Bayport Cruise Terminal effective with this weekend’s departures.
The 2,052-passenger Carnival Ecstasy will resume its four- and five-day Mexico schedule from the Port of Houston starting with a five-day cruise departing Saturday, Sept. 20.

Beginning with the departure of Sunday, Sept. 21, the 2,974-passenger Carnival Conquest will depart Houston on seven-day cruises to the western Caribbean.

Both vessels are currently docked in New Orleans where they were deployed following the closure of the Port of Galveston. Carnival Conquest will arrive at the Port of Houston on Thursday, Sept. 18, and Carnival Ecstasy on Friday, Sept. 19, to disembark those guests who opted to remain aboard the vessels following their previous voyages.

“We are pleased to continue our Texas operations from the Port of Houston, which will be a convenient option for guests who have already made travel arrangements for previously scheduled Galveston departures,” said Gerry Cahill, Carnival president and CEO. “We are especially grateful to the Port of Houston for their responsiveness. Many of their personnel involved in making this happen were dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ike but set that aside to work with us on very short notice to assure that these vessels would continue to have a Texas homeport and with minimal disruption to our guests,” he added.

Cahill indicated that the company plans to return to Galveston as soon as the necessary repairs to the port facilities are completed. “The Port of Galveston has been a valued and important partner since we launched year-round cruising from there in 2000. We look forward to bringing both the Carnival Conquest and Carnival Ecstasy back to the city as quickly as we can. We have enjoyed an outstanding relationship with Galveston over the years and our thoughts and prayers are with the people of this wonderful city during this difficult time,” he said.

Carnival’s two Houston-based ships will operate the same itineraries as they did from Galveston. Carnival Conquest will sail seven-day western Caribbean voyages departing Sundays to Montego Bay, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. Carnival Ecstasy will depart Thursdays on four-day cruises to Cozumel, and on Mondays and Saturdays on five-day voyages to Cozumel and Progreso.

The Port of Houston’s newly opened Bayport Terminal is an $81 million state-of-the-art facility with 96,000 square feet of space. It is conveniently accessed from both of the city’s airports, and a variety of fine restaurants and shops are located nearby. The Carnival Conquest and Carnival Ecstasy will be the first cruise ships to utilize the new facility.

That's great! I was concerned that an extend time to re-open the Galveston terminal would force Carnival to abandon cruising from Texas. This is good news for those of us who liked to be able to drive to a port instead of paying the now outrageous costs of flying.

Yeah, I am so excited I will get to cruise in Oct after all. They did send us Itinerary Change letters today showing where the times have changed. We actually get to leave Houston an hour earlier (3pm) and return to Houston an hour later 9am). An extra 2 hrs on the ship is fine by me!
Another interesting thing is we actually go to Progreso from 11-7pm. It will be nice to be there later in the day. Probably alot more "happy folks" coming on board!

I have been hearing that the Port of Galveston will be ready for cruise ships by Oct 1st? Has anyone else heard this? Carnival has already switched our itiniary to Houston, I wonder if they will switch it again? I would like to spend my money in Galveston but it is hard for me to imagine the island livable in Oct!

Julie I was watching KHOU tv in Houston last night and yes they said Carnival will be back in Galveston on Oct 1.. We sail on Oct 4 but I was kinda hoping to see that new terminal but I guess I could always drive by it.
Mike